The invention relates to a cooking and frying utensil with a cover, for instance, cooking and braising pots, casseroles, frying and sauteing pans or the like.
For these utensils and accompanying covers, handles of various shapes are used, for example, loop-shaped or U-shaped handles on pots and covers, stem-shaped handles on casseroles and frying pans or knob-shaped handles on covers. All these handle shapes, whether massive or hollow profile, have a relatively large cross-section or diameter, which has to be large enough for the U-shaped handles or knobs to be conveniently and securely held with the fingers and for the stem handles to rest comfortably and securely in the hand. However, this results in a rather large cross-sectional contact area between the handles and the utensils or covers.
In metal utensils and covers made, for example, of steel, refined steel or aluminium with welded or fastened handles as well as in utensils and covers made of ceramic materials or glass with massive handles made of the same material or with screwed on metal handles, the previously mentioned large cross-sectional contact area between the handle and utensil or cover and the excellent thermal conductivity of the aforementioned materials results in the handles getting too hot to touch without considerable risk of burning when heating the utensil on a stove. In order to be able to hold these handles, pot holders are necessary which no longer assures a secure grip of the handles.
Instead of handles of the previously mentioned kind, handles made of wood have often been used in the past. These, however, are adversely affected by moisture, for example, when doing dishes, and therefore, instead of these, handles made of synthetic materials have been used for a long time. The synthetic materials have low thermal conductivity but are easily broken, and the relatively thin-walled handle parts and screw threads to which the synthetic handles are attached on the utensil or the cover, can tear or break off. Furthermore, the synthetic materials can get brittle and fragile and may crack under the influence of high temperatures and frequent temperature changes, resulting in the breaking off of the handles. As a consequence of the relatively low hardness of the synthetic materials, the surface of the handles quickly can become dull and unattractive. Higher and higher demands are placed on the design and the decor of cooking and frying utensils. The particularly sensitive edges of utensils and covers of glass and ceramic materials therefore often have a thin border of refined steel, not only for protection against chipped edges but for aesthetic reasons as well.
It is the object of the invention to provide cooking and frying utensils with covers, having metal handles, particularly refined steel handles, which combine the aforementioned advantages PG,4 of metal and synthetic handles, from a technical as well as an aesthetic viewpoint, and, which at the same time, avoid the aforementioned disadvantages of the metal and the synthetic handles. It is thus an object of the invention to provide utensils with covers, having metal handles, which are durable, unbreakable, scratch resistant and dishwasher safe, having a durable, reliable and strong means of attachment, and satisfying the requirements as to convenient and secure handling, which do not get so hot that they can no longer be held with the hand, and which at the same time meet the increasing demands as to design and decor.